55 pages • 1 hour read
The Clan of the Cave Bear
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 22-28Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying, gender discrimination, sexual violence, rape, ableism, pregnancy loss, animal cruelty and death, substance use, graphic violence, illness, death, and physical abuse.
Chapter 22 Summary
Ayla proudly shows Iza that Durc can lift his head, a sign that he might not remain weak as the others feared. Creb agrees this is a good omen and decides it’s time for Durc to have his totem ceremony, despite his young age. He also decides that Ayla should be initiated as a medicine woman since Iza is too ill to travel to the Clan Gathering, with Uba also learning alongside her.
As the Clan prepares to depart for the Gathering, Iza stays behind. Before they part, she gives Ayla the sacred roots needed for rituals, officially recognizing her as the medicine woman of the Clan. Ayla, Uba, and the others set out on the long trek east across the steppes and through swamps, enduring harsh conditions, smoke from prairie fires, and sightings of massive herds of animals. Eventually, they reach the mountains.
Upon arrival at the host clan’s cave, Ayla’s presence as a Cro-Magnon woman, one of the Others, causes uproar. Brun and Creb insist she is Clan and a medicine woman of Iza’s line, and the host clan reluctantly allows them in. The Gathering begins with competitions and preparations.
